Connecting through Creative Writing Club
This post was written by Lia, a student in the FLVS Creative Writing Club.
The Creative Writing Club is a place where students of Florida Virtual School (FLVS) can come together and appreciate the joys of writing. Being in virtual school, it can be hard to connect with other students, let alone find anyone who is interested in the same things as yourself.
This is where clubs have a huge role. They allow for students to connect in ways that would have been impossible on their own. The Creative Writing Club is only one of the FLVS clubs that do this. With more than 300 students, the Creative Writing Club is a popular choice for many students looking for a club.
Much like several clubs that are offered by FLVS, the Creative Writing Club has a club blog called “FLVS Scribbles.” This blog is dedicated to posting students’ stories and poems. This type of online publication allows student work to be viewed by peers. While some may see this as a daunting experience, for most it is a way to share what they love with others who feel the same. It allows for confidence to be built and for bonds to form.
Also, like other clubs, the Creative Writing Club has a group of students who help run it. This group is called the “Editorial Board.” The Editorial Board, with the help and counseling of the club sponsor, run the club blog and the club meetings. Club-wide meetings allow for the students to come together in a more direct way and learn about writing. However, the meetings are not all about school. There are also ways students get to learn more about each other. This is done through games and the ability to chat with each other before and after the meeting. The club meetings also provide another way for students to share their pieces.
The fun does not stop there either! The Creative Writing Club also participates in writing events. One such event is called National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo takes place during the month of November and motivates everyone – not just students – to push past limitations they have placed there themselves to start – maybe finish – their very own novel. Another, very similar, event is National Poetry Writing Month or NaPoWriMo. Much like NaNoWriMo, NaPoWriMo takes places over the month of April. However, instead of writing a novel, the goal of National Poetry Writing Month is to write a poem for each day that NaPoWriMo takes place.
The Creative Writing Club does not only participate in events, but it creates its own events and competitions. One such competition is called Star Scribbler. There is a system in the club where everyone has a chance to earn what is called “Star Scribbler Points.” These can be earned by attending meetings, submitting stories or poems, commenting on blog posts, and participating in events. All year long these points are updated, and at the end of the year, the student with the most Star Scribbler Points gets a prize of his/her choice, sent through the mail. Not only does this prompt participation, but it allows for friendly competition between the club’s students.
Another event that is held in the Creative Writing club is the “Group Short Story” event. In this event, the whole club comes together in order to write a short story. During a club wide meeting, the club decides on a character, a setting, a genre, and a plot line. Each person has a say in what the story is going to turn into. And every person has the chance to write the story as well. For those who wish it, they can take turns to write a portion of the story they helped plan. After the story has ended it is posted on the club blog for all to see, and those who participated receive points to help them in the Star Scribbler contest.
Another event that takes place during the school year is the “Short Story Workshop.” There are some aspects of the Short Story Workshop that make it seem no different from the Group Short Story. After all, in both activities there are students working as a team to create stories for the Creative Writing Club Blog as well as themselves. However, that is where the similarities end. In the Short Story Workshop, instead of working together to write a story with the entire club, a few select students write their own short stories. They then come together to help edit and give advice to the others who are participating. The amount of time that this takes varies depending on how many people participate, but at the end, each story will be showcased on the club blog and the writers will receive star scribbler points.
Not all events are as big and in depth as the Group Short Story and the Short Story Workshop. Another event is the “Best Worst Sentence Contest.” This is a fun little contest where the club’s students create sentences that have a twist ending. These are then posted on the blog and the rest of the club votes on a series of polls to determine the winner. It allows for more fun as people get to watch their picks rise to the top.
The Creative Writing Club is a place where future authors are able to nurture their abilities and become the writers it is clear they will become. It is a place to be stress-free and enjoy the company of others who wish to do the same thing as yourself.
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